Chauncey Billups scored 26 points, hitting four of his five
3-pointers in the second half to help the Nuggets pull away
after the game was tied with a little over seven minutes to go
in the third quarter.

"I had opportunities and if I can get my feet set and squared up
I feel like I can make a lot of them," Billups said of his
long-range shooting. "Most nights I don't really get those
opportunities because teams don't let me get that, but we moved
the ball really well. We got guys in the paint, Melo got going,
J.R. (Smith) hit some big ones. In the absence of Nene, I
thought everyone came out and played good."

Nene was unable to play after being hit with a two-game
suspension by the NBA for head-butting an opponent during the
Nuggets' loss in Phoenix on Monday night. Without him, the
Nuggets still managed to build a 21-point lead in the fourth
quarter.

Nuggets coach George Karl took particular satisfaction in his
club performing so well on the road against a fellow playoff
contender.

"What happens at the end of the season is your home games become
double the pressure because you can't lose at home," Karl said.
"When you steal one against like, New Orleans, it's a
double-weighted hammer."

The score was tied at 55 when Anthony scored six quick points on
two free throws and a pair of transition jumpers. The flurry
began a 17-6 run that lasted late into the third quarter,
putting Denver up 72-61. Billups drained his third 3 of the game
during the spurt, while Kenyon Martin dunked and J.R. Smith
converted a tough driving layup into a crowd.

Billups added two more 3s and a mid-range jumper early the
fourth quarter. Then Smith, a former Hornets first-round draft
choice, nailed a 3 to give Denver a 94-73 lead with 7:38 left.

Fans began heading for the exits, while one yelled, "you never
should have let him go," in an apparent reference to Smith, who
had 16 points.

Chris Paul had 19 points and 13 assists, and David West scored
18 points for New Orleans (44-26), which dropped a game behind
Denver (46-26) in the Western Conference standings.

"Everything is so close right now that every game is a big
game," Paul said. "We're fine. We would have liked to finish the
season 13-0, but it probably wasn't going to happen."

Hilton Armstrong and Rasual Butler each scored 10 points for New
Orleans, which played an unusually sloppy game. Denver wound up
converting 19 Hornets turnovers into 18 points. Paul turned the
ball over six times.

"We just wanted to jump him, make it hard for him, not give him
no holes, no cracks," Anthony said.

Anthony started quickly, scoring 13 points in the first quarter
alone, with his 3-pointer giving Denver a 24-14 lead.

"I wanted to come out and be aggressive and let my teammates
know tonight is a game I will be trying to go after it," he
said. "They fed off of that. We stopped them, we got us some
transition points, some easy baskets and our shot was falling."

Smith's 3-pointer to open the second quarter gave Denver a 31-21
lead. The Hornets clawed back with mostly reserves on the floor
and Paul on the bench. Morris Peterson's 3 ignited a 12-2 run,
capped by Antonio Daniels' 3-pointer, which tied the game at 33.

New Orleans briefly took a 44-43 lead on Julian Wright's
three-point play, a fast-break underhanded flip off the glass as
he was being held by Anthony Carter. Billups responded with his
first 3-pointer of the game, and Denver led 46-45 at halftime.